


Homework, Pentagrams, and Tiny Demons

by NvrLndBoi



Series: Bastian's SHBingo Fics [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Children, Cute Max Lightwood-Bane, Fluff, M/M, Magic Misshaps, Parent Alec Lightwood, Parent Magnus Bane, Pentagrams, Protective Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Small Demons, Warlock Homework, sfw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26983858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NvrLndBoi/pseuds/NvrLndBoi
Summary: Alec had known that when Magnus and he adopted two small boys into their family, he might come home to some peculiar scenes but he never expected the complete warzone he just stepped into and whoever had ‘Magnus swinging a glowing fly swatter’ on their bingo card just hit big.
Relationships: Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane, Alec Lightwood & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Max Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Max Lightwood-Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane
Series: Bastian's SHBingo Fics [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954486
Comments: 12
Kudos: 74
Collections: SHBingo 20-21





	Homework, Pentagrams, and Tiny Demons

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Bastian here! o/
> 
> This fic was written for SH Bingo! It is a standalone and has no plans of a continuation... _*nervous laugh*_ but we all know how that goes.
> 
> Square Used: Pentagrams
> 
> No Beta. All mistakes are my own. Enjoy.

Alec had known that when Magnus and he adopted two small boys into their family, he might come home to some peculiar scenes but he never expected the complete warzone he just stepped into and whoever had ‘Magnus swinging a glowing fly swatter’ on their bingo card just hit big.

_Two Hours Earlier…_

Magnus finished connecting both ends of the sealing circle and turned back to meet the gaze of an uninterested Max.

“This is important Blueberry,” Magnus emphasized as the little five year old straightened out on his papa’s desk in the apothecary. “It is one of the basics of our magic.”

“I know Papa.” Max nodded along. “It’s just there are so many parts.”

Magnus understood the complaint. He remembered the first times he had been taught about pentagrams.

“For now we just have to focus on the basics,” Magnus smiled walking towards his desk to pull out some loose paper from a drawer. “Remember watching Rafe practice his runes?”

Max watched his papa intently and eagerly as it seemed they might be stepping away from the lecture part.

“Yeah, Daddy said it was Rafe’s homework,” Max recalled swinging his feet eagerly as his Papa set the paper and a pen in front of him.

“Well this is yours,” Magnus looked at the clock ticking on the wall and realized how late it was, tonight was his night to cook. Alec and he didn’t like the idea of raising the boys off take-out. It was fine when it was just them but their children deserved home-cooked meals.

As a compromise they split the days with only one take-out meal a week, of course on Alec’s days Magnus would be supervising his husband in the kitchen assisting along the way, and if it became their sort of mini date no one could judge them on that.

“I’m going to practice runes?” Max asked, confused.

“No silly Blue,” Magnus smiled and drew some lines on the paper splitting it into twelve even sections. “I want you to copy the pentagram I made on the chalkboard in smaller versions here.”

Max looked up at the complicated swirls all over the chalkboard and back at his papa with a pout.

Magnus shook his head understandingly and walked over to the board again. Maybe he should’ve listened to Catarina’s advice and started Max off with simpler pentagrams.

The older warlock erased the previous intricate sealing circle and started to instead draw a simple minor demon summoning circle. It only had three layers with some design spreading from the middle to the edges. Should be simple enough.

“How about we start with this one then,” Magnus turned back to a much happier warlock and smiled. “Now you can do twelve of these on your sheet as homework and I will go start dinner, Daddy and Rafe will be home soon. I am going to trust you now, Maxwell.”

Max nodded. When Max had first found out he wouldn’t be attending the same school that his older brother did it had upset him but now that Papa had started teaching him stuff too it was fine.

Rafe and he had different classes so it was fun to talk to him about the new stuff he learned because it was new to Rafe as well and in return, the young Shadowhunter would tell him about the new Runes he learned at the Academy.

Magnus smiled and looked at the small determined look Max had on his face as the little warlock studied the pentagram on the chalkboard. Many assumed that Max would pick up Magnus’ mannerisms since they were both warlocks but Blueberry was his Daddy’s son through and through and that look proved it.

“I will leave the door open. Don’t touch anything and remember the apothecary rules.” Magnus looked at Max trying to catch his eyes to assure he understood.

“I know Papa,” Max confirmed nodding. “I won’t touch or open anything I promise.”

Magnus smiled and spelled the wards around his apothecary to be more sensitive than usual. Can never be too careful. “I’ll leave you to it then.”

Max smiled and started to look back towards the board before noticing all the clutter near his homework. Rafe always told him that his teacher made him redo the sheet if the paper was dirty. The circle already looked complicated. He didn’t want to have to redo another twelve if Papa thought the paper looked bad.

Carefully so he wouldn’t touch anything weird and only stuff he knew, like Papa’s name plaque and planner book, Max started to make more room for his sheet and pen.

Once it was all cleared up and he checked to make sure nothing was hanging off the edges of Papa’s desk, he finally settled back down into Papa’s oversized chair.

It had taken Max longer than he’d liked and he may have switched to a pencil he found on Papa’s desk because the first circle looked kinda more like an oval with how many times he did the outline over the other permanent background.

Max looked up at the big wall clock and squinted his eyes trying to remember what Daddy had taught him about it. The small hand was almost at the 7 so that meant it was 6 still and Daddy and Rafe wouldn’t be back till it was after 7.

He looked back at his finished homework and nodded as he gathered the sheet to go show his Papa.

“Papa,” Max called out as he made his way out of the apothecary and into the long hallway to the kitchen. “I finished my homework, Papa!”

Max cleared the corner and turned with his work held out for his Papa to inspect. “See I did it just like on the board.”

Magnus was pulled out of his search for the parsley by his son’s excited voice behind him at the entrance. He looked as Max presented the sheet from earlier now completed.

“Good job, Blueberry,” Magnus praised as he set down the random spice jars to properly congratulate Max on his first completed homework. “Did you do all twelve?”

“Yes! I filled out every square you made, Papa.” Max confirmed, the glee shown clear on his face.

Magnus kneeled and looked at the paper briefly before the oven’s timer went off behind him.

“I’m proud of you, Blue.” Magnus smiled as he ruffled the small warlock’s dark blue locks. “I have to finish the pasta for tonight. Why don’t you practice your magic in the living room? You can show Daddy your homework when he gets home.”

“Yes!” Max nodded excitedly. “I can show Rafe too!”

“Of course, my Blueberry.” Magnus smiled and stood to make his way to silence the oven timer. “No turning the Chairman different colors anymore! The poor soul needs a break from playing with his siblings.”

Max nodded as he bolted out of the kitchen and into the living room. He set his paper down carefully on the middle table and then looked back at the clock. It was still not 7 but the small hand was getting super close.

The small warlock closed his eyes and smiled as he felt the tiny flame inside himself. Papa had shown him how to feel his magic the first time and ever since Max had been fascinated by it.

Max remembered the first time he had willed his magic versus when it happened by accident. He had summoned his Daddy’s Steele from the kitchen table into the living room. Daddy had said that his magic felt like blankets when the Steele appeared in the archer’s hand.

Slowly trying to do the breathing exercises his Papa and Madzie taught him Max started to picture a small ball in his palm. It was really hard honestly. Usually, when he started the small ball of magic his Papa or Madzie would be there to assist him in stabilizing his magic.

Max started to feel the tiny flame in him awake and answer his request, slowly the slivers of his soft violet magic started to rise from his palm. Max watched transfixed as the tiny sparks started to dance uncoordinated around his hand and up to his fingers.

He closed his eyes again and started to think of a golf ball. Papa said he needed to make it tight and small so it would stay together when he tossed it.

At first, the sparks just kept crawling up his forearm tickling his shoulders, it took a bit before he started to feel it recede onto his palm. Max made sure his breathing was calm before he opened his eyes to check on his magic’s progress.

The violet sparks had joined together to try and form small threads as the magic attempted to weave itself into Max’s desired form.

As he kept pulling on the tiny flame inside him he felt it start to falter. Aunt Cat and Papa had a long talk with Madzie and him not to overuse their magic. Especially since it was still growing like them.

Max looked at the wildly formed sphere in his hand and smiled. He knew he could probably make it look like Papa’s if he kept pulling his magic but he needed to stop or Aunt Cat would make him drink a smelly potion to help his magic.

Slowly he moved the malformed ball from one hand to another, he tried to mimic his Papa’s movement but it was difficult. The small sphere wasn’t stable and Max’s hold on it kept slipping as he tried to pass it faster between his hands.

If Madzie or Papa had been with him, they would’ve stabilized his magic and added their own to it. Max loved the way Papa’s blue or Madzie’s green magic looked next to his.

The violet ball started to unwind itself, returning to its previous state of sparks. In the excitement of playing with his magic, Max hadn’t noticed where exactly he was letting his magic fall into, till it was too late.

Twelve small lights shot out from the forgotten homework sheet. Max jumped back releasing the leftover sparks onto the paper as well.

“PAPA!”

Magnus had just slipped the lasagna in the oven to finish melting the cheese when he heard his son’s panic. His wards were still idle so the small warlock must’ve sent another blast of wayward magic at a piece of furniture or something small. After Max’s magic started to present Magnus had to tune the wards to it or they would go off every time Max’s magic accidentally went off.

Magnus waved his hand quickly, sending a quick spell Catarina had taught him to make the oven turn off when the timer went off.

“On my way, Blue,” Magnus called out as he started the small journey to the living room.

“Papa! Help!” Max cried out again as he heard his Papa’s footsteps.

Magnus turned the corner to find Max in a corner holding Chairman up to himself as he was surrounded by what looked like twelve very small demons. From his distance, Magnus couldn’t make out the type but he could see how they started to approach his son and that wasn’t going to happen.

He started to draw his magic into his palms and approach the scene quietly. He had to be careful the demons were tiny and Magnus didn’t want to miss them.

“Papa!” Max called out when he saw Magnus making his way to him.

The demons must’ve heard him because they all started to run in different directions on the floor in an attempt to flee it seemed.

Magnus sighed and watched as one hopped inside a vase and slowly peaked its head up and down.

Max crashed into his Papa’s legs and clung tightly.

Magnus quickly pulled Max into his arms and carried him as he inspected the small warlock for any injuries.

“What happened, Max?” Magnus questioned as his magic ran inside his son inspecting him completely, he noticed Max’s magic was slightly drained. “Did you bring them here Max?”

It would explain why his wards would allow the demons in. He needed to see if there was a parental lock version for his wards. To allow Max to practice certain magic without setting off the wards.

A loud crash from the vase Magnus had seen one of them hide in had quickly brought his attention to the small demons running amok in his loft.

“How’d you bring them here, Max?” Magnus questioned as he started to try and find where the demons were hiding.

“I was practicing my magic and then I dropped it on my homework,” Max explained hastily, still hiding his face in his Papa’s shoulder. “I’m sorry Papa I didn’t mean to.”

That alone wouldn’t have summoned the demons. There was something else missing but he needed to rid his home of the pest before.

“It’s okay Blue,” Magnus comforted. “I’m not mad, I just need to know what happened.”

Max nodded and looked up at his Papa. “I don’t know. I was just practicing my magic I swear, Papa.”

Magnus rubbed his hand on Max and pulled back his magic that was checking his son over. Max was safe, they hadn’t touched him.

“I need you to go to your room, Max.” Magnus started. He needed to get Max out so he could properly hunt down the pests. The boy’s rooms were heavily warded and his son would be safe there.

“No!” Max protested as he stared at his Papa. “I want to help catch them! I can do it just like Rafe and Daddy.”

Magnus sighed. He knew that look once again. He needed to talk to Alec about his influence on their little Blueberry.

“Alright, but you stay on the couch and do not under any circumstance go after one,” Magnus instructed as he set Max down. “You can help me by watching out for them and telling me where they are at. Sound good?”

Max nodded and started to squint his eyes as he inspected the living room. He saw the curtains start to rustle near the closed balcony doors.

“There Papa!” Max pointed quickly at one that peaked the corner.

Magnus turned to look at the curtain Max was pointing at and started to think how to catch the damn thing. He could easily blast it but he can’t make an attack that small so it would always run the risk of tarnishing the area around the small demons as well. Alec had just finished his monthly cleaning session too. His husband would be upset to see it ruined so fast already.

He could just easily try and step on them like the pest they are but that would mean their ichor would also stain the floors. Sure Magnus could easily wave it clean after but he still had to make sure he plated dinner in time for the rest of the family to get home.

“Papa! Look there's another!” Max this time was pointing at the decorative chandelier that was now swinging with the added weight of the small demon. This one unlike the one behind the curtains had wings.

Magnus called his magic to him and summoned a mundane looking fly swatter. If the demon wanted to have wings like a fly Magnus would take it out like a fly. After a quick enchantment, he watched a sealed bug cage appear by Max’s homework. He then quickly swung at the demon by the curtain watching with a small puff of blue dust it was then transported into the small holding cell.

Max watched in glee as the tiny demon appeared in the clear cage.

“Alright that’s one,” Magnus turned to face the chandelier again but saw the demon was gone now. “See anymore, Max?”

The small warlock started searching around the room again for any more movements. He looked at one of the photos from Papa and Daddy’s wedding. “There Papa! By the wedding pictures!”

Magnus turned and quickly started looking for the tiny menace. He really didn’t feel like reframing those pictures if they decided to tip them over. Carefully and swiftly Magnus guided the swatter onto the demon causing it to poof into the box with the other captured demon.

“There’s another on the top of the curtains and the one in the chandelier is back!” Max guided frantically.

Magnus tried to keep up with his son’s call-outs but there was still ten and he moved the swat at the one in the chandelier before switching the fly swatter to his other hand to quickly grab the one on the top of the curtain.

Max clapped in cheering his Papa on. He had seen Papa do weird stretches in the morning and spar with Uncle Si and Uncle Jace but it was always nice seeing Papa move around the house. He agreed with Daddy it was really pretty.

“That’s four of them, Blueberry,” Magnus announced as he started to look around the bookcase. “Do you see any more?”

Max looked around the floor and then moved to inspect every surface around him.

At that moment Chairman came yowling and bucking around the corner. Magnus turned his gaze on the feline and caught sight of the demon clinging to the Chairman's collar for dear life.

“Look, Papa!” Max giggled pointing at Chairman Meow. “It’s trying to be a cowboy!”

Magnus’ face broke into a small smile at his son’s speculation but was brought back to focus at another yowl from the Chairman.

“Hold still, my sweet boy,” Magnus called out as he approached the feline with an open hand to snatch the pest rather than using the fly swatter. Magnus grabbed a firm hold on the demon but just dodge a swipe from his cat. “Hey now! I’m trying to help you here, ungrateful furball.”

“Papa! Look another!” Max cried out pointing at the family portrait hanging in the middle of one of the walls.

Magnus was not about to allow that. He quickly vanquished the captured demon in his hands to the holding cell with the others before quickly turning to swat at the demon just starting the climb to the painting.

The warlock had traded Biscuit too many portals for her and Blonde’s dates to let the demon ruin it with ichor.

He swatted that one in time to hear the small claps from his audience of now three.

“Papa!” Rafe’s voice came from the entrance. “That was so cool! Can I play too?”

“Papa and I aren’t playing, Rafe!” Max corrected intensely. “We are hunting demons!”

Magnus watched as Alec’s eyebrows raised in question.

“Really now, Max?” Alec started as he went to pull his youngest son into a hug. “Papa and you are hunting demons in our home?”

“Yup!” Max nodded as he clung to his Daddy’s black shirt. “I accidentally invited them when I was practicing magic.”

“Maxie! You know we aren’t supposed to play with Papa’s things.” Rafe reprimanded his younger brother as he crossed his arms. “Did they hurt you?”

Magnus watched as Rafael started to look over Max in their father’s arms.

“No, Chairman protected me before Papa came to start getting rid of them,” Max explained as he burrowed himself in Alec’s clothes. “I didn’t mean to. I was just practicing my magic and it fell on my homework.”

“Homework?” Alec asked, looking at Magnus who had moved behind his husband to place a greeting kiss on the archer’s cheek.

“Yes, I had our little summoner here practice some simple summoning circles,” Magnus explained ruffling Max's hair before moving to Rafael and pulling him into a hug. Rafael didn’t like being picked up as much since he started at the Academy. Alec had assured him that it was just because he didn’t want to be seen as a little kid but to Magnus, he will always be their little boy.

“How was your day at the Academy,” Magnus asked.

“Good! I got to start learning with practice swords today!” Rafe started explaining. “Papa practice swords don’t have Adamas in it. Can you make a replica for Max so I can teach him what I learn?”

Magnus chuckled at Rafe’s antics. “Of course my little Shadowhunter. Just make sure you both are safe. Don’t get too rough.”

Magnus cried out in excitement and reached down to high five his older brother.

The moment was cut short though as another crash this time from the kitchen sounded off. In the midst of greeting his missing family members home, Magnus had completely forgotten about the six pests still running rampant in their home.

“Why can’t you just use your magic to send them away?” Alec asked, looking over to Magnus.

“Do you want to hunt down six hidden ichor stains later during your cleaning sessions?” Magnus questioned.

“You can just clean that up with a cleaning spell afterward you’ve done it for spilled food,” Alec stated as he set down a wiggling Max.

“We both know magic won’t clean up ichor that well.” Magnus retorted.

“Fair.” Alec sighed. He had been hoping to come home to a peaceful night in. Not to continue his hunt.

“I can help Papa!” Rafe volunteered again, still excited. “I can use my agility rune!” Rafe pulled up his sleeve to show off the rune he had gotten a few months ago. The second one to his angelic rune. Alec was still trying to plan with him on where his Deflect Rune would go. Rafe knows he wants it on his neck like the Lightwood Family but he doesn’t know where yet. Magnus assured him he had plenty of time to decide and if that was selfishly for himself and his struggle with seeing Rafe go into danger then no one had to know.

“You’re only supposed to use your runes on hunts, Rafe,” Alec informed his son.

“But Dad! It’s a hunt. I mean there are demons.” Rafe argued back holding his dad’s stare.

“Come on, Sayang,” Magnus coaxed. “The demons are harmless other than small mischief and Rafe can use his new rune along with my enchanted swatter to catch the last few with Max while we go set up the dinner table and get the one in the kitchen.”

Alec looked at Magnus and back at the boys thinking of the mess that could occur if he left the boys alone to deal with the minor infestation.

“Are you sure, Mags?” Alec asked, still not convinced.

Magnus leaned in close with a smirk and spoke quietly for only his husband to hear. “With some luck, they’ll wear themselves into sleeping on time tonight. Then you and I could have some alone time.”

The older warlock pulled back still smirking as he witnessed Alec’s blush reach his ears and received a glare in response.

“Alright,” Alec conceded as he cleared his throat. “Boys, you both stay here and try to catch the last of them. That doesn’t permit you to touch anything you aren’t supposed to though. If they are on something you can’t reach call us.”

Max and Rafael both nodded and looked at each other eagerly as Magnus handed Rafael the fly swatter. They both could still the blue sparks from their Papa’s magic on it.

“Don’t worry, Dad,” Rafe assured him as he dug through his backpack for his Steele. “Max and I got this.”

“We will be in the kitchen getting dinner set.” Magnus explained as he tugged at Alec sleeve, “Make sure you call us if you need anything. I mean it, boys.”

“We got this Papa!” Max nodded before he turned his attention back to the living room as he spotted two of them right away. This time they were climbing up Chairman Meow’s cat tree. “Rafe look there!”

Rafael finished carefully and slowly tracing his permanent Agility Rune before he looked at where Max was pointing. “I got them you look for the other three, Maxie”

Max nodded and started to look out for the others.

Alec chuckled silently from the door before finally turning to join his husband in the kitchen.

“Was I right?”

Alec grunted a yes as he wrapped his arms from behind Magnus. “Doesn’t mean I won’t worry.”

“Hm, the demons that were summoned would probably be as dangerous as a mosquito bite,” Magnus assured.

“I saw one of them in the cage had wings. So kinda fitting.” Alec teased.

“Can you get me the butter from the fridge?” Magnus asked.

“Do I have to?” Alec pouted as he buried his face into the nook of his husband’s neck. “I just got home and you in my grasp. Why must you ask me to let you go so soon?”

Magnus chuckled softly as he rolled his eyes at his Shadowhunter. “Aren’t dramatics my department, Sayang?”

Alec raised his head but kept the slight pout turned on Magnus.

Magnus couldn’t resist the small temptation and closed the distance giving Alec a small kiss.

“Okay, I think I can survive the trip to the fridge now,” Alec hummed as he untangled himself from the warlock to make his small journey.

Magnus laughed softly and shook his head. He enjoyed the confidence his Alexander had gained in their relationship. He recalled a time when their small flirting banter would make his archer stutter and imitate a tomato.

Alec opened the fridge door as he searched the wide fridge for the butter. He looked over the shelves carefully before a small figure handed him the container helpfully.

“Oh thank you.” Alec nodded and closed the fridge door walking back to Magnus before his brain caught up with what had just occurred.

The archer quickly turned back and opened the door to see the same helpful demon now trying to open the leftovers from last night’s pizza night.

“Magnus!”

Magnus turned back quickly to see what his husband had screamed about before he caught sight of the small pest in their fridge. With a groan, Magnus snapped his fingers sending the demon to the cage with the others and sighed.

“Please throw the pizza out,” Magnus instructed as he thought of whether to just replace the whole fridge or not. He had no idea what type of demon it was or where it had been before it decided to defile their refrigerator. “I will clean out the fridge tomorrow while you are at work.”

“I get that Max was practicing his magic but how exactly did we end up here?” Alec questioned as he threw the pizza box away.

“I had him practice some pentagrams as homework as Shadowhunters do with Runes,” Magnus explained. “I don’t know exactly how pen ink and magic gave it enough push to activate the summoning circles but next thing I know Max is crying out for help from the living room.”

“Do you think his magic did it?” Alec asked and he wrapped himself around Magnus again.

“No, pentagrams take more than just a pretty picture and wayward magic to be activated.” Magnus reasoned as he kept thinking. “There has to be something else.”

“Well by the eraser marks on the paper it looks like he worked hard on those pretty pictures,” Alec added as he kissed Magnus’ cheek again. “Maybe it is good for him to practice like that in the future. Rafael and he can both do their homework when Rafael and I get home. Give us more time to properly greet each other.”

Magnus was too caught up on Alec’s first statement to fully acknowledge his husband’s advances.

“Eraser marks?” Magnus repeated.

“Really?” Alec groaned. “Out of all that I said that’s what stuck out to you?”

Magnus laughed and kissed his husband’s small pout. “Sayang, I gave Maxwell a pen to do his homework. Not a pencil.”

Alec quirked his brow up not fully following his husband’s line of thought.

“It wasn’t one of those weird erasable ones?” Alec inquired as he recalled his argument with Simon about how it wasn’t to fill a hunt’s report in erasable ink even if it was a pen. Alec didn’t care how many times the new Shadowhunter had to rewrite it because he misspelled something.

“No, Sayang,” Magnus confirmed with a soft smile. “It seems our little Blue got into my stuff when he knows better.”

Alec sighed and nodded. “Looks like we will have to sit them down again and talk to them about what they are and not allowed to get into.”

“Hmm,” Magnus hummed, still trying to think what pencils he had on his desk that could cause this. “We shouldn’t be too harsh. Honestly, I am more curious about what pencil he used to make the pentagrams.”

“Papa! Dad!” Rafael’s and Max’s voice came calling from the kitchen’s entrance door. Rafael’s hair was wild all over the place and he looked like he had been running for a while. Next to him was Max who was holding the box containing all twelve of their guests.

“We did it!” Max claimed as he held up the small clear bug cage. “One just showed up randomly in the cage though. I think he missed his other friends.”

Alec and Magnus smiled at their youngest observation with no intent on correcting him.

“Max, Papa, and I have a very important question for you,” Alec asked as the young warlock turned his wide deep blue eyes on him. “Did you touch anything in the apothecary you shouldn't have?”

Max turned his eyes quickly away from his Daddy not wanting to get in trouble. He knew he shouldn’t have moved Papa’s things.

“I moved the stuff away from my paper so I could have more room,” Max confessed as he looked down at his feet. “I didn’t want to crumple my homework and have to redo it like Rafe said he has to when it was messy.”

“Max we have explained to you that Papa’s things, especially in the apothecary can be dangerous if you touch them,” Alec explained softly. “We aren’t mad Max. No one was hurt this time but imagine what could’ve happened if you had knocked down a dangerous potion while moving stuff.”

Max nodded as he gripped onto the box tighter. He didn’t like being in trouble with his parents.

“I know, Daddy,” Max nodded. “I won’t do it again.”

Alec smiled and nodded. “Is there anything else you took from Papa’s desk?”

Max looked up at Alec confused as he scrunched up his brow to try and think. He only moved Papa’s things and made room for his paper.

“I used a pencil from Papa’s desk cup,” Max confessed as he recalled getting frustrated by how weird the first circle looked. “The one with all the color pencils Aunt Clary uses.”

“Oh,” Magnus realized with a sigh. “I forgot I stored them there.”

Alec turned now to Magnus with a raised brow, “Colored pencils?”

“Remember years ago when you came for Biscuit’s memories?” Magnus offered with a wink only to receive a lovely blush and throat clear in return. “I never got rid of them and well they are useful when I work with clients. Don’t have to go through the extra ingredient gathering step with them since I made them with the ingredients usually used for pentagrams or at least the basics.”

“How about we put them away somewhere the boys don’t use them accidentally?” Alec bargained before turning to their sons. “Boys, we do not use any writing utensils we find in Papa’s apothecary. Remember Papa is High Warlock of Alicante and that means his office is the apothecary and he has things there that have magic in them.”

Alec watched as both boys nodded in understanding.

“I’ll make sure Maxie doesn’t touch any more things,” Rafael assured as he stepped in front of his little brother.

Magnus smiled and pulled Rafael into an embrace again.

“Always such a good older brother,” Magnus praised the flustered Shadowhunter in his arms. “I will be more careful with leaving out stuff like that in the future. I’m sorry boys. I didn’t mean to put you in danger like that.”

“It’s okay Papa,” Rafael assured, still holding onto Magnus.

“Rafe’s right,” Max chimed in. “I shouldn’t have taken your things, Papa. I’m sorry.”

Alec smiled down at his family proudly and allowed the warmth encompassing them to chase away the work day’s stress.

“Come on,” Alec prompted as he took the clear bug case to store away for Magnus to handle later. “Let’s get you boys cleaned up for dinner while Papa finishes serving food.”

They watched the boys take off to the small guest restroom to wash their hands and clean up from the small hunt.

“Our boys are amazing,” Magnus stated quietly as he laid a quick peck on Alec’s cheek before turning to finish plating dinner.

Alec caught Magnus quickly planting a full kiss on the surprised warlock.

“It’s because their Papa is amazing.”

Magnus blushed and smiled. Even after marriage and kids this man never fails to make him fall in love with him a bit more every day.

“Go help them,” Magnus smiled and winked before whispering. “I think I saw Rafael yawning. If we are lucky it will only take one cartoon episode before bedtime for them.”

That was all the archer needed before he was off to help his sons.

**Author's Note:**

> Credits:
> 
> If you want to join the SHBingo and get your own Bingo card to mark, head over to their Tumblr: [ShadowhunterBingo](https://shadowhunterbingo.tumblr.com/)
> 
> My Tumblr: [antisocial-af](https://antisocial-af.tumblr.com/)


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